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Transylvania University among schools recognized as leaders of educational excellence in the 2008-09 edition of “Colleges of Distinction”

LEXINGTON, Ky.—Transylvania University has been selected to appear in the admissions guidebook “Colleges of Distinction.” Wesley L. Creel, president and founder of Colleges of Distinction, says that the schools chosen for this honor are some of the very best in the country. “What they all share is that they are great places to get an education,” he said.

Approximately 40 colleges in each of the six geographical regions in the U.S. were selected as meeting four key criteria that make a college truly exceptional: engaged students, great teaching, vibrant communities and successful outcomes. Selections were determined by a review board of academicians, guidance counselors and parents.

“We are pleased with the complimentary review of Transylvania,” said President Charles L. Shearer. “We take great pride in engaging our students, in having excellent professors and in the successful outcomes of our alumni.”

“Colleges of Distinction” praised Transylvania for its internship program and cited recent examples of students who had internships with a member of the Scottish Parliament, at the Center for Diseases Control and Prevention in Atlanta, at McGraw-Hill in New York City and locally at Lexmark International, Pricewaterhouse-Coopers and numerous law firms and medical centers.

The book says that “Transylvania graduates are known for their ability to think critically and to use inquiry to explore themselves and the world around them,” and mentions the university’s extensive study abroad and May term programs.

Shedding light on Transylvania’s great teaching, the book says that “professors engage students in small classes, encouraging them to go beyond the course assignments, seek out new knowledge and see things in a different light.”

The book described Transylvania students as “active in the local community and across the country thorough local urban outreach and alternative spring break programs.” The book also touted Transylvania’s noted alumni including U.S. Supreme Court Justice John Marshall Harlan and abolitionist Cassius Clay and more recent alums including a world-renowned marine zoologist at the Smithsonian Institution and a member of the surgical team that implanted the world’s first self-contained artificial heart, among others. It highlighted the career development center and touted Transylvania’s high acceptance rate to law and medical schools.

“Colleges of Distinction” concluded Transy’s profile with “No matter what path a student chooses, Transylvania University works to develop in its graduates lifelong habits of learning, inquiry and thoughtfulness, which lead to success in any career.”

Transylvania, founded in 1780, is the nation’s sixteenth oldest institution of higher learning and is consistently ranked in national publications as one of the top liberal arts colleges in the country.

Transylvania University admits students regardless of age, race, color, ethnicity, religion, gender, sexual orientation, disability, veteran status, national origin, or any other classification protected by federal or state law or local ordinance.